John Henry Foster, the second of four children of William, a shoemaker and Elizabeth [née Bellamy] was born in 1882 at Rose Cottage, Kneesall, Newark in Nottinghamshire, UK.
Private John Henry Foster originally enlisted in 1901 at Sheffield in the King’s Royal Rifle Corps, signing on for 8 years with the colours and 4 years in the reserves. John was working as a stationary engine driver for a railway company, when on the 6th of March 1913 agrd 30 years he is shown as a passenger on board the White Star Line ship Runic, which left the Port of Liverpool bound for Sydney, Australia. He gave his occupation as that of a carpenter.
Enlisting with the13th Battalion at Liverpool, New South Wales, on 27th of October 1914, John gave his hometown as Sydney. He was 32 years of age, single and labouring at the time. The 13th Battalion was among some of the first battalions to be raised, doing so in late September 1914, only six weeks after the declaration of war. Drawing its manpower from the state of New South Wales, the battalion undertook training at the ANZAC Rifle Range in Long Bay, Sydney, Broadmeadows near Newcastle and Williamstown near Melbourne. Embarking with the 13th Infantry Battalion aboard the HMAT Ulysses at Melbourne, on the 22nd of December, after a short stop at Albany in late December, he arrived in Egypt in February 1915.
Along with the rest of the 4th Brigade, under the command of then Colonel John Monash, the 13th Battalion took part in the Landing at ANZAC Cove, arriving late on 25th of April 1915. For the first four months, between May and August, they undertook defensive operations as the Anzacs attempted to establish themselves on the narrow beachhead that had been captured on the peninsula. Presumably, due to his previous military service, John was promoted to Acting Corporal on the 3rd of May, which was confirmed ‘in the field’ on the 11th of June.
Having survived the attempt to break out from the beach head on the 8th of August, the 13th Battalion took part in a costly, and only partially successful, attack on Sari Bair Hill 971. A report on the 23rd of August by the Brigade Major listing John as missing was deleted after a report dated the 22nd stated he was ‘Killed in Action’. A Court of Inquiry convened on the 6th of April 1916 to clarify the situation found that John was ‘Killed in Action’ on the 22nd of August 1915, aged 33 years.
Awards: 1914/15 Star, British War Medal, Victory Medal.
Cemetery: No known grave- “Known unto God”.
Memorials: Lone Pine Memorial, Panel 38, Gallipoli Peninsular, Turkey;
Australian War Memorial Roll of Honour;
Ballarat Ex-Prisoners of War Memorial;
Kneesall- St. Bartholomew’s- Cross War Memorial;
Gloucester Memorial Clock Tower.
“Lest We Forget”
Contributed by Carol Foster & Geoffrey Gillon, edited by Admin